Businesses are closing twice as fast as they are opening in RTC. Several small businesses and restaurants that have been in the area for decades have pointed to dwindling numbers of customers due to paid parking as the main reason behind their closures.

The shift from free to the ParkRTC paid parking initiative at RTC began at the start of 2017. Then in June 2017, Boston Properties, RTC’s owner, changed its paid parking structure, which originally charged for weekday parking, following a major outcry from tenants and customers.

Still, some Restonians are boycotting RTC.

Red Velvet Cupcakery Owner Aaron Gordon previously told Reston Now that his decision to close the Reston location was driven by Boston Properties’ paid parking structure.

When Appalachian Spring closed at the start of 2018, the store’s president told Reston Now that customer traffic dipped over the last few months and that customers often complained about the paid parking.

The handcrafted gifts and handmade jewelry store, one of the first tenants in RTC, opened its Reston location in 1990.